We used electrodeposited copper micro-cubes as reductants for preparing Ag nanostructures (nanorods, nanosheets), that is a 0 dimension to 2 dimension (2D) process.
Cu2O were identified as intermediate products of the redox reaction by XRD.
Agglomerates on the cubes and reductants escaped from them acted as growth positions for anisotropic growth (nanoplates).
Oriented attachment of nanoparticles determines the shapes of Ag nanostructures, such as nanonets, nanoplates, nanosheets.
Reductant nanoparticles absorb on the edges of nanoplates improve their growth.